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Asked on justanswer.com -- I have embezzled over $30,000 from a dental practice that I worked in. What should I do?

A dental employee publicly admitted online to stealing over $30,000. Prosperident examines this real case and what it re

Delegation versus Abdication

Delegating duties is wise — abdicating financial oversight is dangerous. Prosperident explains the difference and why it

Reconcile or Reckless? You Choose!

Skipping bank reconciliation is a gamble embezzlers rely on. Prosperident explains why this simple monthly discipline is

Deleted Transactions — Hidden Gems

Deleted transactions in your dental software are often fingerprints of embezzlement. Prosperident explains why reviewing

It's a challenging time to be a dentist

Running a dental practice has never been more difficult. David Harris examines today's key challenges and how dentists c

Introducing SOFIA

Introducing SOFIA, Prosperident's consulting service applying expert financial analysis to major dental practice decisio

Spring Cleaning!

Spring is the ideal time to audit your dental practice's financial controls. Prosperident shares which oversight systems

Delta Dental Changes in 2026 that will affect you

Delta Dental is making significant changes in 2026 that every dental practice owner needs to know. Prosperident explains

Top Five Indications Someone is Embezzling

Discover the five most telling warning signs that someone may be embezzling from your dental practice. Prosperident expl

Be the CEO - in 10 minutes per day

Most dentists overlook their CEO responsibilities. Learn how to exercise meaningful financial oversight of your dental p

Articulation - Prevention's Best Kept Secret

Articulation — comparing daily totals to month-end summaries — is one of the most powerful and overlooked embezzlement d

Artificial Intelligence in Dentistry

AI is already transforming dental practices. Prosperident examines the real opportunities and risks artificial intellige

What to do (and not do) if embezzlement is suspected

Suspect embezzlement in your dental practice? Prosperident explains the critical steps to take — and the mistakes to avo

How to Divide Duties Between Team Members

One employee controlling all practice finances is an embezzlement invitation. Prosperident shares three practical rules

What software reports should I look at?

Which practice management software reports should dentists review — and how often? Prosperident provides a practical dai

ADA says Embezzlement is Increasing

The American Dental Association’s Council on Dental Practice recently released the results of a survey completed last ye

Test honesty of your staff? $50 temptation?

I have seen a few people advocate dentists setting up a plan to test honesty of their front desk staff.

Eight Things Dentists Misunderstand About Embezzlement

Reports suggest that more than half of dentists will eventually be victims of embezzlement. Dental practitioners can ben

It’s Not Just Cash That Gets Embezzled!!

We live in a society that is becoming increasingly “cashless.” The convenience of using debit and credit cards for trans

What Squirrels and Embezzlers Have In Common

I was discussing embezzlement with my friend Rick Willeford a few months ago. Rick is a CPA and engineer who founded De

Why didn’t my accountant find the embezzlement?

My accountants just did my year-end three months ago. How could they possibly miss the embezzlement that Prosperident f

How To Avoid The Biggest Hiring Mistake of Your Life

Finding a good personality fit and ensuring that employees properly project your office’s personality are topics I will

Will security cameras covering my front desk stop embezzlement?

I get asked this question a lot when I am speaking to groups of dentists, so I decided to share the answer, and the reas

When Dentists Behave Badly

Do Dentists Embezzle?

The Question I Get Asked Most When Speaking…

People come to my lectures looking for many things — some want CE credit; others with embezzlement concerns want informa

The Culture of Entitlement, Embezzlement, and Baby Boomers

Is entitlement a factor for embezzlement with certain demographics?

Do Thieves Steal More in a Recession or When the Economy is Booming?

Something I often get asked is whether more embezzlement takes place when the economy is in trouble.

My Embezzlement Problem is Solved — My Embezzlement Suspect Quit…

Occasionally, a dentist calls us to say that he or she found an employee stealing who was fired or quit and that, becaus

Things NOT to do if you suspect embezzlement in your office

If someone is embezzling from you, they are constantly looking for signs that they are about to get caught.

I’ve Heard That If I Suspect Embezzlement, Stealth Is Important. Why?

When an embezzler thinks that he or she is about to be discovered (and possibly go to jail, have their friends read abou

Why does it take YEARS for someone who embezzles to go to jail?

Something that surprises victims is the painful slowness with which the justice system operates.

The Mind of the Embezzler

I’ve often said that our embezzlers fall neatly into two categories, which I labeled the “Needy” and the “Greedy.” Let’

What Dental Practice Embezzlers and Houdini have in Common

Houdini was a master illusionist. Since many of his stunts were performed in full view of his audience, he relied on tw

Darren Kaberna — You Just Discovered Embezzlement, Now What?

The Prosperident team does an amazing job of uncovering and assisting you in dealing with the legal issues around embezz

Don’t Underestimate the Embezzler by David Harris, MBA CMA, CFE, and Pat Little, DDS, FAGD CFE – Orthotown

As investigators, one thing we encounter every time we speak to a group of orthodontists is that, in the area of embezzl

The Truth About Embezzlement – Orthodontic Products

Building a successful orthodontic practice is no small feat. It takes unwavering commitment, good marketing skills, smar

Let’s Talk About “Trust”

The Mirriam-Webster Dictionary describes trust as “ assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of so

The Myth of Fraud Prevention

There are a lot of “urban myths” about embezzlement that will not disappear. As a result, embezzlement is flourishing i

Two big embezzlement myths

I’ll devote this column to addressing some of the misconceptions about embezzlement that just won’t seem to go away.

Someone who works at a dental office actually asked this (stupid) question online about using a stolen credit card. Would she have any hesitation about embezzling?

Will I get caught if I charged a stolen credit card?

Ten Great Embezzlement Monitoring Ideas

Here are ten steps that take very little time but can make your practice much safer from embezzlement.

If my day-end report balances to my bank deposit, can I still be embezzled?

Many dentists believe that if the practice management software day-end report balances to their bank deposit, embezzleme

What NOT To Do If You Suspect You Have Been Embezzled

As dentists, we have invested enormous time and resources obtaining our education, growing our practices, and pursuing o

Should I fire an employee if I find out that they have embezzled from someone else in the past?

Over the past week, I’ve encountered a couple of similar situations, which leads me to believe that this scenario is wor

Doing Proper Backups

We all know that data is important, and we need to back it up. Whether a hard disk stops working, or your network has b

Garnisheed wages – I just hired someone and then got notice that their wages are garnisheed for a $3,200 debt. Should I fire them?

I have a question as I have a client that recently hired somebody and shortly after she started he got notice that her w

Is my practice immune from embezzlement? 70% of dentists will be embezzled by staff

“I live in a small town…” I’m not referring to the catchy John Mellencamp tune of the 1980s (although I did like the son

Why Caution Is Needed When Checking References

Reference Check Essentials: Helping You Master Your Hiring Process

“My Day-end Report Balances to my Deposit, so I Must Be Safe From Embezzlement”

We hear this a lot from people discussing embezzlement with us. They say that they always check that their day-end repor

Why do People Steal from Dentists? 3 Preconditions Exist

One of the most frequent comments we hear once the identity of an embezzler is confirmed is that he or she is “the last

Trust, Then Verify; Systems That Win

The following is an excerpt from David Harris’ upcoming book on protecting yourself from embezzlement. Stay tuned for th

I Live in California, and I Have Been Told That I Can no Longer Check Criminal Records When Hiring. Is this true?

No — you can check criminal records. California is one of 13 “Ban the Box” states.

How to Read a Resume Critically to Avoid a Critical Hiring Mistake – 20% of Embezzlers Have Done It Before!

It continues to amaze us that the people who we refer to as “serial embezzlers” continue to find jobs in dental practice

Embezzlement In Orthodontic Practices – Make Sense of the Mess and Avoid a $100,000 headache

Embezzlement in orthodontic practices takes place with more frequency than in general dental practices.

Practice Management Software can Lie

A dentist in a Facebook forum states that embezzlement cannot be happening in his or her practice because they “check th

Daily Balancing – the Right Way

Everyone knows that daily balancing is a key safeguard for your practice’s finances, but there is very little informatio

Month-end Reconciliations – A Masterclass in 6 easy steps

Thorough month-end reconciliations are critical to uncover revenue anomalies, errors, and embezzlement.

2019 ADA Survey Addresses How Dentists Discover Embezzlement

The American Dental Association’s Council on Dental Practice recently released the results of a survey completed last ye

The Danger Of References

What would you recommend doing to check employment?

Protect Yourself As an Associate Dentist

While most of this website is oriented towards owners of dental practices, we would be remiss if we didn’t address the t

Profiles of Embezzlers – 2 Traits of Those Who Steal Your Money

Like every private investigator, I consider myself an armchair psychologist. From my observation, many Greedy thieves di

How Big Is the Embezzlement Problem? Almost 50% of dentists have already been victims of employee theft

Embezzlement has been around since the beginning of recorded history.

How Secure is my Practice Management Software?

Is there a brand of practice management software that is better at protecting a doctor against embezzlement? What is the

I’m a New Practice Owner. What Should I be Doing to Protect My Practice?

Embezzlement protection involves a few big steps and a lot of small items, and they can seem daunting for a new practice

The Dangers of Virtual Credit Cards

Some insurance companies make payments to practices by creating virtual credit cards with credit balances and then provi

A Whistleblower Policy Can Increase Your Chances of Staff Coming Forward With Concerns About Embezzlement!

We have noticed an interesting phenomenon in dentistry. When you look at all types of business in aggregate, “whistleblo

The “Policy Vacuum”

Our CEO once said that embezzlers will happily fill gaps in a practice’s policies to their advantage. So what are these

My Office Manager Quit Suddenly. I’m Devastated. Now What? 3 things to know

Sooner or later, every practice owner receives this unwelcome news. Your office manager quits suddenly. He or she is th

Hiring Properly in a Tight Labor Market – 6 strategies

A common theme at conferences and in dental media lately is a shortage of people to hire ,and hiring properly has become

Own Your Stuff! Practice Financial Management

Dental practice financial management requires a practice owner to have some involvement in the financial operations of t

The Ugliest Filling Ever

Let’s think about the control systems in place in your practice. Everything from the “balancing” done by staff at the e

“Call the Police” and Other Myths of White Collar Crime.

Should I call the police if I think I have been embezzled? I have recently been involved in a couple of Facebook discuss

Electronic Funds Transfers – 7 Reasons they are Dangerous

Both insurance companies and dental practices have long appreciated the convenience of electronic funds transfers as a m

Is there a psychological test that will allow you to flag employee dishonesty?

We recently were asked this question by a dentist and thought that discussion of psychological testing for dishonesty is

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